Maurice Daniels, who has been a member of the school's faculty since 1979 and now serves at the associate dean, will take over the deanship July 1.

"I hope to work with the faculty and staff to enhance the national stature of our school," Daniels said Monday, including working to increase funding and adding scholarship opportunities.

Daniels said he also will continue work to recruit diverse and well-qualified faculty and students.

The dean post has been open since June 2003, when former dean Bonnie Yegidis left for a job in the provost's office. Nancy Kropf replaced Larry Nackerud as interim dean in June 2004 after a year-long search for a permanent dean was unsuccessful.

Daniels has served several roles at the School of Social Work, including director of the master of social work program and director of the Patricia Roberts Harris graduate fellowship program. He became associate dean in August.

Daniels has a background in research, teaching and administration. He helped found and now directs the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies, an effort to chronicle the civil rights movement in Georgia, and his civil rights research includes a book and three documentary films.

He has worked with Athens organizations on social justice and poverty issues and has studied the effects of race on the aspirations of school children.

Before he came to UGA, Daniels was a social worker in Indianapolis public schools and a social services coordinator for the Indianapolis Sickle Cell Center.

Daniels is the second new UGA dean announced this month. Friday, UGA officials named University of Maryland's Jay Scott Angle as the new dean of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

Officials are expected to announce a permanent vice president for student affairs today. Rodney Bennett has filled the position on an interim basis since July 2004.

A search is under way for a new vice president for research, to replace Gordhan Patel, who announced in November that he plans to retire from UGA this fall. The university likely will announce the final choice in July, Provost Arnett Mace said last week.

UGA also is looking for a permanent dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and will soon appoint a committee to select a dean for the new College of Public Health and the associate provost for international affairs.